White Box Rules Update/Re-design

[foxroe]

Hey! If you need any help on Team WB:FMAG? Let me know. I'd be happy to help out any way I can.

Welcome to the forum, DuBeers! Good to see you in these parts!

[DuBeers]

Thanks! I've enjoyed reading along here. I'm a big fan of S&W:WB, WB:FMAG, S&W: Core.

[Lucius]

That's true. But hey let's not forget, there is now a 4th version of S&W (made from WhiteBox)! And it will be expanded to level 7. Almost the same thing as WhiteBox. Yeah, go team S&W!

This one is a head scratcher for me. The original intent seemed solid. Four pages of light rules for new players and lapsed gamers that would act as a gateway to other editions. I hate to say it, but it seems to have evolved into a vanity project. When talk started of a monster manual, I about fell out of my chair. Why? Why not just point people to White Box at that point?

[geordie racer]

Whitebox has always been the odd one out as it harked back to OD&D and promoted homebrew material and houserules - by disdaining WB and Core, S&W focusses on being it's own thing, rather than encouraging people to seek out the Oe itself, or write for Oe (the original reason for a clone). I stopped expecting any acknowledgement of WB from FGG long time ago - it was left for the fans to develop it further by Matt.

[Mach Front]

Whitebox has always been the odd one out as it harked back to OD&D and promoted homebrew material and houserules - by disdaining WB and Core, S&W focusses on being it's own thing, rather than encouraging people to seek out the Oe itself, or write for Oe (the original reason for a clone). I stopped expecting any acknowledgement of WB from FGG long time ago - it was left for the fans to develop it further by Matt.

To add to this, odder still that WB from the very beginning attracted a lot of the S&W fanbase as well as a decent portion of the OSR fanbase in general. Also, equally odd, Core was always Matt's main focus, even after Complete appeared...until it wasn't...if you get my meaning.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Matt's own preferred take on OD&D (S&W Core; his 'baby') became just as much a bastard step-child as WhiteBox had become in the meantime.
Poor Core. Core is cool. But, over the last handful of years it's sort of the 'lonesome other', kinda like Holmes is as resting betwixt pure OD&D fandom and those who prefer B/X or AD&D.
Strange stuff...

[geordie racer]

Maybe it's that Iron Falcon is a better choice for an OD&D plus Greyhawk clone than Core. Also, Core begat some decent offshoot clones like Crypts & Things, just as WB did with Sabres & Witchery, Backswords & Bucklers etc that a Core fan may be led to. Light leads to Complete and range of adventures, or at least, g hat seems to be the intention. As well as it being the perfect one-off CON game.

[The Wanderer]

. Light leads to Complete and range of adventures, or at least, g hat seems to be the intention. As well as it being the perfect one-off CON game.

Leading to complete was the second intention but after seeing a sneak peak that Tenkar posted. They have rules for advancing characters beyond level 7. It will be its own system.

[The Wanderer]

Maybe it's that Iron Falcon is a better choice for an OD&D plus Greyhawk clone than Core.

I don't think that is the case. Because if it was, Delving Deeper would be very popular because it's a closer clone than WB to 3LBB only.

I think it's just that within the S&W fan base most people like Complete or WB. I did a poll a while back on the S&W G+ that confirms that.

[The Wanderer]

Also, equally odd, Core was always Matt's main focus, even after Complete appeared...until it wasn't...if you get my meaning.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Matt's own preferred take on OD&D (S&W Core; his 'baby') became just as much a bastard step-child as WhiteBox had become in the meantime.
..

Core was given a makeover with the 4th printing but I don't think that helped rescue it from falling into obscurity. Most folks continue to fall into Complete or WB. So I think it was more a choice of where the market went. Support what is most popular. Push the game company not just the game. That company was Frog God. Matt even said to me on the phone that people like to support good game companies. Which is one reason OSRIC never took off; there was no game company behind it. He also said roughly that Core was dead as a system.

[The Wanderer]

But anyways....

The White Box:FMAG update should hopefully be done this month

I will always be open to feedback on how to make the game better. We have a game that we can continue to improve upon and will not be left to collect dust. Stay tuned for teasers of what's to come.

Thanks for all the interesting discussions. This board is fantastic .